fasthx-admin 0.5.15

FastAPI + HTMX + Jinja2 admin interface framework — a modern replacement for Flask-Admin

fasthx-admin

A modern admin interface framework for FastAPI built with HTMX, Jinja2, and Bootstrap 5. Designed as a drop-in replacement for Flask-Admin with full control over rendering.

Screenshots

Dashboard

Dashboard with clickable summary cards, recent items, and quick actions

List View

List view with search, sorting, pagination, and row actions

Form with Sections

Create/edit form with accordion sections and AJAX select fields

Detail View

Detail view with formatted fields

Toast Notifications

Toast notifications for validation errors and action feedback

AI Settings

Configure AI provider, model, API key, and connection settings

AI Context & Tools

Manage context items and enable/disable AI-callable tools

AI Chat Widget

Built-in AI assistant with tool calling and markdown support

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Architecture Overview
• Database Setup
• Defining Models
• The Admin Class
• CRUDView Configuration
  • Basic Attributes
  • Column Configuration
  • Column Formatters
  • Form Configuration
  • Detail View
  • Form Sections (Accordion Groups)
  • Form Widget Overrides
  • AJAX Select (Searchable Foreign Keys)
  • Row Actions
  • Multi Row Actions
  • HTMX Polling Columns
  • Permissions
  • Sidebar Visibility
• Column Filters
  • Inline Header Filters
• Custom Endpoints
  • Endpoint Decorator (Recommended)
  • setup_endpoints Override (Legacy)
  • Instance State in Custom Endpoints
• Dependent Dropdowns
• Toast Notifications
• Modals
• Validation
• Model Lifecycle Hooks
• Progress Bar
• Authentication
• AI Chat (Optional)
  • Enabling AI Chat
  • Installing the AI Dependency
  • Registering Tools
  • Configuring via the Settings UI
  • How It Works
  • Custom Providers
  • AI Chat API Endpoints
• Custom Pages (Dashboard, Wizard, etc.)
• Custom Navigation Links
• Templates
• Theming
• Icons
• Auto-Generated Routes
• Environment Variables
• Flask-Admin Migration Guide
• Running the Demo
• Tech Stack

---

Features

• Auto-generated CRUD -- list, detail, create, edit, delete routes from SQLAlchemy models
• Dark/light theme -- toggle with localStorage persistence, no flash on load
• HTMX-powered -- live search, sortable columns, auto-polling status cells, dependent dropdowns, progress bars
• Accordion form sections -- group form fields into collapsible sections
• Custom column formatters -- render badges, links, icons, code blocks in table cells
• Custom row actions -- per-row buttons with HTMX (deploy, build, reset, etc.)
• Multi row actions -- bulk operations on selected rows with checkboxes and "With Selected" dropdown
• Collapsible sidebar categories -- click category headers to collapse/expand, state persisted in localStorage, active category auto-expands
• Responsive sidebar -- auto-grouped from model metadata, collapses on mobile
• View-level access control -- restrict views by user or group (allowed_users, allowed_groups) with both sidebar and route-level enforcement
• Inline header filters -- per-column text filters in the table header with FK relationship support
• FK-aware search -- search through foreign key relationships using dotted notation (e.g., "serverid.hostname")
• OIDC/Keycloak auth -- Resource Owner Password Credentials flow with group-based access
• Dev mode -- set AUTH_DISABLED=1 to bypass auth entirely
• Foreign key dropdowns -- auto-populated from related models
• AJAX select fields -- searchable, paginated foreign key selects via HTMX (replaces Flask-Admin's form_ajax_refs)
• Pagination -- configurable page size with prev/next navigation
• Built-in templates -- 7 page templates + 8 partials, all customizable
• AI chat widget (optional) -- pluggable LLM-powered assistant with tool calling, settings UI, and OpenAI-compatible provider

---

Installation

pip install fasthx-admin

With AI chat support (adds httpx):

pip install fasthx-admin[ai]

With development extras (uvicorn, pytest, httpx):

pip install fasthx-admin[dev]

---

Quick Start

A minimal working app in one file:

import os
from contextlib import asynccontextmanager

from fastapi import FastAPI
from sqlalchemy import Column, Integer, String
from starlette.middleware.sessions import SessionMiddleware

from fasthx_admin import Admin, CRUDView, Base, init_db

# 1. Initialise the database
engine = init_db("sqlite:///./app.db", connect_args={"check_same_thread": False})

# 2. Define a model
class Customer(Base):
    __tablename__ = "customers"
    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
    name = Column(String(100), nullable=False)
    email = Column(String(200))

    __admin_category__ = "CRM"
    __admin_icon__ = "people"
    __admin_name__ = "Customers"

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"<Customer {self.name}>"

# 3. Create the app with lifespan
@asynccontextmanager
async def lifespan(app):
    Base.metadata.create_all(bind=engine)
    yield

app = FastAPI(lifespan=lifespan)
app.add_middleware(SessionMiddleware, secret_key=os.environ.get("SESSION_SECRET", "change-me"))

# 4. Create admin and register views
admin = Admin(app, title="My Admin")

class CustomerView(CRUDView):
    model = Customer
    column_list = ["id", "name", "email"]

admin.add_view(CustomerView)

Run it:

AUTH_DISABLED=1 uvicorn app:app --reload
# Open http://127.0.0.1:8000/customers

This gives you a full CRUD interface with list/detail/create/edit/delete, search, sorting, pagination, and a sidebar -- all from 30 lines of code.

---

Architecture Overview

fasthx_admin/
├── __init__.py       # Public API exports
├── database.py       # init_db(), get_db(), Base
├── auth.py           # OIDC login, get_current_user, AUTH_DISABLED
├── crud.py           # CRUDView base class + Admin factory
├── templates/        # Jinja2 templates (base, list, form, detail, wizard, partials)
└── static/           # CSS (dark/light theme) + JS (theme toggle, HTMX hooks)

How it works:

1. You define SQLAlchemy models inheriting from Base
2. You subclass CRUDView for each model, setting class-level configuration
3. The Admin factory instantiates your views, introspects the models, and auto-registers FastAPI routes
4. Built-in Jinja2 templates render list tables, detail pages, and forms
5. HTMX handles dynamic interactions (search, polling, dropdowns) without page reloads

---

Database Setup

fasthx_admin uses a configurable database via init_db(). Call it once at startup before creating tables.

from fasthx_admin import init_db, Base

# SQLite (development)
engine = init_db(
    "sqlite:///./app.db",
    connect_args={"check_same_thread": False}
)

# PostgreSQL (production)
engine = init_db("postgresql://user:pass@localhost/mydb")

# Create tables
Base.metadata.create_all(bind=engine)

Available functions

Function	Description
init_db(url, **kwargs)	Create engine + session factory. Returns the engine. kwargs are passed to create_engine().
get_db()	FastAPI dependency that yields a database session. Auto-closes when done.
get_engine()	Returns the current engine (raises RuntimeError if init_db not called).
Base	SQLAlchemy declarative base -- use this for all your models.

---

Defining Models

Models are standard SQLAlchemy models that inherit from Base. Add optional metadata attributes to control how they appear in the admin sidebar:

from sqlalchemy import Column, Integer, String, ForeignKey, Boolean, Enum as SAEnum
from sqlalchemy.orm import relationship
from fasthx_admin import Base
import enum

class DeviceStatus(str, enum.Enum):
    ONLINE = "online"
    OFFLINE = "offline"
    ERROR = "error"

class Device(Base):
    __tablename__ = "devices"

    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True, index=True)
    hostname = Column(String(100), nullable=False)
    ip_address = Column(String(45))
    status = Column(SAEnum(DeviceStatus), default=DeviceStatus.OFFLINE)
    site_id = Column(Integer, ForeignKey("sites.id"))

    site = relationship("Site", back_populates="devices")

    # --- Admin UI metadata ---
    __admin_category__ = "Network"     # Sidebar group heading
    __admin_icon__ = "router"          # Bootstrap Icons name (https://icons.getbootstrap.com)
    __admin_name__ = "Devices"         # Display label in sidebar

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"<Device {self.hostname}>"

Model metadata attributes

Attribute	Purpose	Default
__admin_category__	Groups this model under a sidebar heading	"Other"
__admin_icon__	Bootstrap Icons icon name	"table"
__admin_name__	Display name in the sidebar and page titles	Table name, title-cased

The __repr__ method is used to display items in foreign key dropdowns, so make it human-readable.

---

The Admin Class

Admin is the central factory that ties everything together.

from fasthx_admin import Admin

admin = Admin(
    app,                                    # Your FastAPI app (required)
    title="My Admin",                       # Brand name in sidebar + page titles
    static_url="/static/fasthx-admin",      # Where package CSS/JS are served
    mount_statics=True,                     # Auto-mount built-in static files
    public_pages={"login.html"},            # Templates that skip auth check
)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
app	FastAPI	required	Your FastAPI application instance
templates	Jinja2Templates	None	Custom templates (uses built-in if None)
title	str	"Admin"	Brand name shown in sidebar header and page titles
static_url	str	"/static/fasthx-admin"	URL path where static assets are mounted
mount_statics	bool	True	Whether to auto-mount built-in CSS/JS
public_pages	set[str]	{"login.html"}	Template names that don't require authentication
ai_chat	bool	False	Enable the AI chat widget and settings pages (requires fasthx-admin[ai])
extra_templates_dirs	list[str]	None	Additional template directories to search before the built-in ones (for overriding or extending templates)
settings_admin_groups	list[str]	None	Keycloak group DNs allowed to see the Settings sidebar category (e.g. ["/Edge-Admins"])
settings_admin_users	list[str]	None	Usernames allowed to see the Settings sidebar category (e.g. ["admin"])

Methods

Method	Description
admin.add_view(ViewClass)	Instantiate a CRUDView subclass and register its routes. Returns the instance.
admin.get_view("name")	Look up a registered view by its name attribute.
admin.add_link(name, url, display_name, icon="link", category="Other")	Add a custom navigation link to the sidebar (non-CRUD).
admin.get_nav_categories()	Returns the sidebar navigation structure as a dict.
admin.templates	The Jinja2Templates instance -- use for rendering custom pages.

What Admin does automatically

1. Mounts static files -- CSS and JS at the configured static_url
2. Sets up Jinja2 templates -- uses the package's built-in templates
3. Wraps TemplateResponse -- every template automatically gets:
   • current_user -- the logged-in user (or mock user if auth disabled)
   • nav_categories -- sidebar navigation built from all registered views
   • static_url -- path to static assets
   • admin_title -- the configured title
   • Auth redirect -- non-public pages redirect to /login if unauthenticated

---

CRUDView Configuration

CRUDView is the heart of fasthx-admin. Subclass it and set class-level attributes to configure each model's admin interface.

Basic Attributes

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device                  # Required: SQLAlchemy model class
    name = "devices"                # URL prefix (default: model.__tablename__)
    display_name = "Network Devices"  # Sidebar + page title (default: model.__admin_name__)
    category = "Network"            # Sidebar group (default: model.__admin_category__)
    icon = "router"                 # Bootstrap Icons name (default: model.__admin_icon__)
    page_size = 25                  # Records per page (default: 20)

Column Configuration

Control which columns appear in the list table:

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device

    # Option A: Explicitly list columns to show (in order)
    column_list = ["id", "hostname", "ip_address", "status", "site_id"]

    # Option B: Exclude specific columns (show everything else)
    column_exclude = ["deploy_progress"]

    # If neither is set, all model columns are shown

    # Rename column headers
    column_labels = {
        "site_id": "Site",
        "ip_address": "IP Address",
    }

    # Restrict which columns are searchable (default: all String columns)
    column_searchable = ["hostname", "ip_address"]

    # Search through foreign key relationships using dotted notation
    # This joins the related table and searches the specified column
    column_searchable = ["hostname", "serverid.hostname"]

    # Or search all string columns on the related table (no dot)
    column_searchable = ["hostname", "serverid"]

    # Restrict which columns are sortable (default: all columns)
    column_sortable = ["id", "hostname", "status"]

Column Formatters

Column formatters are functions that transform raw values into HTML for display. They receive (value, obj) where value is the column value and obj is the full SQLAlchemy model instance.

def format_status_badge(value, obj):
    """Render an enum value as a coloured badge."""
    colors = {
        DeviceStatus.ONLINE: "success",
        DeviceStatus.OFFLINE: "secondary",
        DeviceStatus.ERROR: "danger",
    }
    color = colors.get(value, "secondary")
    label = value.value.title() if hasattr(value, "value") else str(value)
    return f'<span class="badge bg-{color}">{label}</span>'

def format_ip_code(value, obj):
    """Render a value in monospace."""
    return f'<code>{value}</code>'

def format_site_link(value, obj):
    """Render a foreign key as a clickable link to the related item."""
    if obj.site:
        return f'<a href="/sites/{obj.site.id}">{obj.site.name}</a>'
    return str(value) if value else ""

def format_external_link(value, obj):
    """Render a URL as a clickable external link."""
    return f'<a href="https://{value}" target="_blank">{value} <i class="bi bi-box-arrow-up-right"></i></a>'

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device
    column_formatters = {
        "status": format_status_badge,
        "ip_address": format_ip_code,
        "site_id": format_site_link,
    }

Formatters return raw HTML strings. The templates render them with | safe so Bootstrap classes, icons, and links all work.

Form Configuration

Control which fields appear in create/edit forms:

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device

    # Explicitly list form fields (default: all columns except 'id')
    form_columns = ["hostname", "ip_address", "status", "site_id"]

Field types are auto-detected from the SQLAlchemy column type:

SQLAlchemy Type	HTML Input Type
Integer, Float	<input type="number">
String, VARCHAR	<input type="text">
Text	<textarea>
Boolean	<input type="checkbox"> (toggle switch)
DateTime	<input type="datetime-local">
Date	<input type="date">
Enum	<select> with enum values
Foreign Key	<select> auto-populated from related model

Detail View

The detail view (GET /{name}/{id}) shows a read-only page for a single record. By default it displays all model columns — not just the ones in column_list.

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device

    # List view shows a subset
    column_list = ["id", "hostname", "status"]

    # Detail view shows ALL columns by default — no config needed

    # Or customize which columns appear in the detail view:
    detail_columns = ["id", "hostname", "ip_address", "serial_number",
                      "status", "site_id", "created_at", "updated_at"]

You can also exclude specific columns instead of listing them all:

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device
    detail_columns_exclude = ["password", "api_key", "created_at"]

detail_columns_exclude works with both explicit detail_columns lists and the default (all columns). If both detail_columns and detail_columns_exclude are set, exclusions are applied after the explicit list.

column_labels and column_formatters apply to detail view fields when matching keys exist.

New in 0.5.8: Added detail_columns_exclude for excluding columns without listing all others. New in 0.5.4: Detail view now shows all model columns by default instead of only column_list columns. Use detail_columns to customize.

Form Sections (Accordion Groups)

Group form fields into collapsible accordion sections:

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device
    form_sections = {
        "Device Info": ["hostname", "ip_address"],
        "Status": ["status"],
        "Relationships": ["site_id"],
    }

The first section is expanded by default. If form_sections is None, all fields render in a flat list.

Form Widget Overrides

Customize individual form fields with extra attributes or replace their type entirely. Any key in the override dict is merged into the field metadata, so you can change field types, add attributes, or tweak behavior per field.

Supported override keys:

Key	Description	Example
type	Change the HTML input type. Use "select" for dropdowns, "textarea" for multi-line text, "checkbox" for booleans, or any HTML input type ("text", "number", "email", "date", etc.)	"type": "select"
choices	List of (value, label) tuples for select fields	"choices": [("v1", "Version 1")]
label	Override the auto-generated field label	"label": "Firmware"
required	Override whether the field shows as required	"required": False
placeholder	Placeholder text for text inputs	"placeholder": "e.g. edge-001"
hx_get	HTMX hx-get URL for dependent dropdowns	"hx_get": "/api/options"
hx_target	HTMX hx-target selector	"hx_target": "#other_field"
hx_trigger	HTMX hx-trigger event (defaults to "change")	"hx_trigger": "change"
hx_swap	HTMX hx-swap strategy (defaults to "innerHTML")	"hx_swap": "outerHTML"
depends_on	Field key of a checkbox — this field is only visible when that checkbox is checked	"depends_on": "is_ha"

Examples:

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = Edge
    form_widget_overrides = {
        # Turn a text field into a select with static choices
        "firmware_version": {
            "type": "select",
            "choices": [
                ("6.4", "Version 6.4"),
                ("7.2", "Version 7.2"),
                ("7.4", "Version 7.4"),
            ],
        },
        # Override the label and make a field optional
        "serial_number": {
            "label": "S/N",
            "required": False,
        },
        # Add placeholder text
        "hostname": {
            "placeholder": "e.g. edge-001",
        },
        # Change a text field to a textarea
        "notes": {
            "type": "textarea",
        },
        # Add HTMX attributes to trigger dependent dropdowns
        "customer_id": {
            "hx_get": "/api/orchestrators-for-customer",
            "hx_target": "#orchestrator_id",
        },
    }

Conditional field visibility:

Use depends_on to show fields only when a checkbox is checked. This is useful for toggling optional sections like HA (High Availability) settings:

class LaunchPadView(CRUDView):
    model = LaunchPad
    form_widget_overrides = {
        # These fields are hidden unless the "is_ha" checkbox is checked
        "ha_mode": {
            "depends_on": "is_ha",
            "type": "select",
            "choices": [("active-standby", "Active-Standby"), ("active-active", "Active-Active")],
        },
        "ha_switch_mode": {
            "depends_on": "is_ha",
            "type": "select",
            "choices": [("manual", "Manual"), ("automatic", "Automatic")],
        },
    }

When is_ha is unchecked, the ha_mode and ha_switch_mode fields are hidden. When the user toggles it on, the fields appear instantly (no server round-trip).

AJAX Select (Searchable Foreign Keys)

For foreign key fields with large option sets, use form_ajax_refs to replace the standard dropdown with a searchable, paginated select powered by HTMX. This is the fasthx-admin equivalent of Flask-Admin's form_ajax_refs.

from myapp.models import Offering, Server

class OfferingView(CRUDView):
    model = Offering

    form_ajax_refs = {
        "serverid": {
            "model": Server,           # The related SQLAlchemy model
            "fields": ["hostname"],     # Columns to search against (ilike)
            "placeholder": "Please select uCPE",  # Search input placeholder
            "page_size": 10,            # Results per page (default: 10)
        }
    }

How it works:

1. The form renders a text search input above a multi-row <select> (instead of a single dropdown with all options)
2. As the user types, HTMX fires a GET /{view}/ajax/{field}?q=<term> request after a 300ms debounce
3. The endpoint filters the target model using ilike on the configured fields and returns paginated <option> HTML fragments
4. If more results exist beyond page_size, an "infinite scroll" trigger auto-loads the next page when the user scrolls to the bottom of the select list (using hx-trigger="intersect once")
5. On edit forms, the currently selected value is pre-populated in the select

Configuration options:

Key	Type	Default	Description
model	SQLAlchemy model	(required)	The related model to search
fields	list[str]	[]	Model columns to search with ilike
placeholder	str	"Type to search..."	Placeholder text for the search input
page_size	int	10	Number of results per HTMX request

Auto-registered endpoint:

Each form_ajax_refs entry registers a GET /{view_name}/ajax/{field_key} route that accepts:

• q -- search term (optional)
• page -- page number (default: 1)

Row Actions

Add custom action buttons to each row in the list table:

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = FortiEdge
    row_actions = [
        {
            "label": "Deploy",              # Button text
            "icon": "rocket",               # Bootstrap Icons name
            "hx_post": "/edges/{id}/deploy",  # HTMX POST URL ({id} is replaced per row)
            "hx_target": "closest tr",      # HTMX target element
            "hx_swap": "afterend",          # HTMX swap strategy
            "class": "btn-outline-success", # Bootstrap button class
        },
        {
            "label": "Reset",
            "icon": "arrow-counterclockwise",
            "hx_post": "/edges/{id}/reset",
            "hx_target": "closest tr",
            "hx_swap": "outerHTML",
            "class": "btn-outline-warning",
            "confirm": "Reset this edge device?",  # Confirmation dialog
        },
    ]

Every row also gets View and Edit buttons automatically (based on permissions), plus a Delete button with confirmation.

Link-based row actions (file downloads, navigation)

For actions that should trigger a file download or navigate to a URL (instead of an HTMX swap), use href instead of hx_post:

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = FortiEdge
    row_actions = [
        {
            "label": "Template",
            "icon": "download",
            "href": "/edges/{id}/template",   # Regular link ({id} replaced per row)
            "confirm": "Download onboarding template?",
        },
    ]

This renders a standard <a> link instead of an HTMX button, so the browser handles the response natively — essential for file downloads where the endpoint returns a StreamingResponse with Content-Disposition: attachment.

Row action fields

Field	Description
label	Button text
icon	Bootstrap Icons name (optional)
hx_post	HTMX POST URL. {id} is replaced with the row's primary key.
hx_target	HTMX target selector (default: "closest tr")
hx_swap	HTMX swap strategy (default: "afterend")
href	Regular link URL. Use instead of hx_post for downloads or navigation. {id} is replaced with the row's primary key.
download	If true, adds the download attribute to the link (optional, use with href)
target	Link target (e.g., "_blank") for opening in a new tab (optional, use with href)
class	CSS class for the button (default: "btn-outline-primary")
confirm	If set, shows a confirmation dialog before executing

Multi Row Actions

Add bulk actions that operate on multiple selected rows. When multi_row_actions is set, a checkbox column appears on the left of the table with a "Select all" checkbox in the header. A "With Selected" dropdown appears in the toolbar when items are checked:

class OfferingView(CRUDView):
    model = Offering
    multi_row_actions = [
        {
            "label": "Delete Selected",
            "icon": "trash",
            "hx_post": "/offerings/bulk-delete",
            "confirm": "Delete all selected items?",
            "class": "text-danger",
        },
        {
            "label": "Activate Selected",
            "icon": "check-circle",
            "hx_post": "/offerings/bulk-activate",
        },
    ]

Define the bulk action endpoint on your view. Selected IDs are sent as ids form data:

@CRUDView.endpoint("/{name}/bulk-delete", methods=["POST"], response_class=HTMLResponse)
async def bulk_delete(self, request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
    form = await request.form()
    ids = form.getlist("ids")
    db.query(self.model).filter(self.model.id.in_(ids)).delete(synchronize_session=False)
    db.commit()
    return toast_response(f"Deleted {len(ids)} items", type="success")

Multi row action fields

Field	Description
label	Button text in the dropdown
icon	Bootstrap Icons name (optional)
hx_post	POST URL for the bulk action
confirm	If set, shows a confirmation dialog before executing
class	CSS class for the dropdown item (e.g., "text-danger")

New in 0.5.13: Added multi_row_actions for bulk operations on selected rows.

HTMX Polling Columns

Auto-refresh specific table cells at an interval. The framework auto-generates GET endpoints that return the current value.

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = FortiEdge
    htmx_columns = {
        "status": {
            "url": "/edges/{id}/status",    # Polling URL ({id} replaced per row)
            "trigger": "every 5s",          # HTMX trigger interval
        },
    }

This auto-generates a GET /edges/{item_id}/status endpoint that returns the current status value rendered through partials/status_cell.html. No custom endpoint code needed.

You can combine this with column formatters -- the initial render uses your formatter, and polling updates use the status_cell partial.

Permissions

Control which operations are available:

class AuditLogView(CRUDView):
    model = AuditLog
    can_create = False    # Hide "Create" button
    can_edit = False      # Hide "Edit" button on each row
    can_delete = False    # Hide "Delete" button on each row

All default to True.

Sidebar Visibility

Restrict which users or groups can see a view in the sidebar. By default all views are visible to everyone. When allowed_users or allowed_groups is set, only matching users see the view in the sidebar.

class InternalToolsView(CRUDView):
    model = InternalTool
    allowed_users = ["admin", "devops"]         # Only these usernames see this view

class NetworkView(CRUDView):
    model = NetworkDevice
    allowed_groups = ["/Edge-Admins", "/NOC"]    # Only members of these groups see this view

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
allowed_users	list[str]	None	Usernames that can see this view in the sidebar. None = visible to all.
allowed_groups	list[str]	None	Group DNs that can see this view. None = visible to all.

If both are set, matching either list grants access. This controls both sidebar visibility and route access — unauthorized users receive a 403 response when accessing any route on the view directly.

The same allowed_users and allowed_groups parameters are available on admin.add_link() for custom navigation links:

admin.add_link("debug", "/debug", "Debug Tools", icon="bug", category="Dev",
               allowed_users=["admin"])

Note: The Settings category (AI Settings) uses a separate mechanism — settings_admin_users and settings_admin_groups on the Admin constructor. Unlike views, Settings is hidden by default and requires an explicit allow list to be visible:

admin = Admin(app, ai_chat=True, settings_admin_users=["admin"])

---

Column Filters

Add dropdown filters to any list view with the column_filters attribute:

class CustomerView(CRUDView):
    model = Customer
    column_filters = ["currentstatus", "region"]

This renders filter dropdowns above the table, populated with distinct values from each column. Labels come from column_labels if set. Features:

• Filters apply alongside search and sorting
• Active filters carry through pagination, search, sort, and export links
• A "Clear" button appears when any filter is active
• Filter params use the format ?flt_columnname=value in the URL
• Enum columns are supported — values are converted automatically

class ServerView(CRUDView):
    model = Server
    column_filters = ["status", "datacenter", "os_type"]
    column_labels = {
        "status": "Status",
        "datacenter": "Data Center",
        "os_type": "OS Type",
    }
    export_types = ["csv"]  # export respects active filters

Inline Header Filters

Add per-column text filter inputs directly in the table header with column_header_filters. Each column gets a small text input that filters using "contains" matching with a 300ms debounce:

class OfferingView(CRUDView):
    model = Offering
    column_list = ["id", "serverid", "ipaddress", "status"]
    column_header_filters = ["ipaddress", "status"]

Header filters support foreign key relationships using dotted notation, the same as column_searchable:

class OfferingView(CRUDView):
    model = Offering
    column_list = ["id", "serverid", "ipaddress", "status"]

    # Filter the serverid column by searching server.hostname
    column_header_filters = ["serverid.hostname", "ipaddress", "status"]

Header filters work alongside the search box and column_filters dropdown — all are combined (AND logic). Filter values are preserved across pagination, sorting, and URL reloads via cf_ query parameters.

New in 0.5.10: Added column_header_filters for inline per-column filtering. New in 0.5.11: Added dotted FK notation support for column_header_filters.

---

Export

Add CSV and/or XLSX export buttons to any list view with the export_types attribute:

class CustomerView(CRUDView):
    model = Customer
    export_types = ["csv", "xlsx"]

This adds an "Export" dropdown next to the Create button in the list view. The export:

• Uses the columns defined in column_list with labels from column_labels as headers
• Respects the current search query and sort order
• Downloads all matching records (not just the current page)

Supported formats:

Format	Dependency
csv	None (built-in)
xlsx	openpyxl (pip install openpyxl)

The export endpoint is at /{name}/export/{format} and accepts the same q, sort, and order query params as the list view.

---

Custom Endpoints

Add custom routes to a CRUDView using the @CRUDView.endpoint decorator. These are registered alongside the auto-generated CRUD routes.

Endpoint Decorator (Recommended)

Decorate methods directly on the class. Use {name} in the path — it's automatically replaced with self.name at init time.

from fastapi import Request, Depends
from fastapi.responses import HTMLResponse
from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
from fasthx_admin import CRUDView, get_db

class OrchestratorView(CRUDView):
    model = Orchestrator

    # Custom action: trigger a build
    @CRUDView.endpoint("/{name}/{item_id}/build", methods=["POST"], response_class=HTMLResponse)
    async def build(self, request: Request, item_id: int, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
        orch = db.query(self.model).filter(self.model.id == item_id).first()
        if not orch:
            return HTMLResponse("Not found", status_code=404)
        orch.build_status = BuildStatus.BUILDING
        db.commit()
        # HX-Redirect tells HTMX to do a full page navigation
        return HTMLResponse("", headers={"HX-Redirect": f"/{self.name}"})

    # Custom API: return filtered options for a dependent dropdown
    # For non-{name} paths, use the literal path string
    @CRUDView.endpoint("/api/devices-for-site", methods=["GET"], response_class=HTMLResponse)
    async def devices_for_site(self, request: Request, site_id: int = 0, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
        options = []
        if site_id:
            devices = db.query(Device).filter(Device.site_id == site_id).all()
            options = [{"id": d.id, "label": d.hostname} for d in devices]
        return self.templates.TemplateResponse("partials/dropdown_options.html", {
            "request": request,
            "options": options,
            "selected": None,
        })

Key points:

• {name} in the path is replaced with the view's name attribute
• methods=["POST"] or methods=["GET"] — defaults to ["GET"] if omitted
• Any extra kwargs (e.g. response_class) are passed to FastAPI's add_api_route
• self gives direct access to self.model, self.name, self.templates, etc.

setup_endpoints Override (Legacy)

The older setup_endpoints() override still works and can be used alongside decorators:

class MyView(CRUDView):
    model = MyModel

    def setup_endpoints(self):
        @self.router.post(f"/{self.name}/{{item_id}}/action", response_class=HTMLResponse)
        async def action(request: Request, item_id: int, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
            ...

Instance State in Custom Endpoints

If your view needs to track state (like deployment progress), add it in __init__:

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = FortiEdge

    def __init__(self, templates):
        self.deploy_progress = {}   # Must be set BEFORE super().__init__
        super().__init__(templates)

    @CRUDView.endpoint("/{name}/{item_id}/deploy", methods=["POST"], response_class=HTMLResponse)
    async def deploy(self, request: Request, item_id: int, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
        self.deploy_progress[item_id] = {"progress": 0, "status": "deploying"}
        # ... start deployment logic

---

Dependent Dropdowns

A common pattern: selecting a value in one dropdown filters the options in another. This uses HTMX + form_widget_overrides + a custom endpoint.

Single Target

Step 1: Configure the trigger dropdown

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device
    form_widget_overrides = {
        "site_id": {
            "hx_get": "/api/devices-for-site",   # Endpoint to call on change
            "hx_target": "#device_id",            # Target <select> to update
        },
    }

Step 2: Create the endpoint

    @CRUDView.endpoint("/api/devices-for-site", methods=["GET"], response_class=HTMLResponse)
    async def devices_for_site(self, request: Request, site_id: int = 0, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
        options = []
        if site_id:
            items = db.query(Device).filter(Device.site_id == site_id).all()
            options = [{"id": d.id, "label": d.hostname} for d in items]
        return self.templates.TemplateResponse("partials/dropdown_options.html", {
            "request": request,
            "options": options,
            "selected": None,
        })

The partials/dropdown_options.html template renders <option> tags that replace the target <select>'s contents.

Multiple Targets

To update multiple dropdowns from a single trigger, use dropdown_options_multi.html with HTMX out-of-band swaps. The primary target is updated normally, and additional targets are updated via hx-swap-oob.

Step 1: Configure the trigger dropdown (same as single target — hx_target points to the primary target)

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = Edge
    form_widget_overrides = {
        "customer_id": {
            "hx_get": "/api/options-for-customer",
            "hx_target": "#orchestrator_id",          # Primary target
        },
    }

Step 2: Create the endpoint with oob_targets

    @CRUDView.endpoint("/api/options-for-customer", methods=["GET"], response_class=HTMLResponse)
    async def options_for_customer(self, request: Request, customer_id: int = 0, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
        orch_options = []
        region_options = []
        if customer_id:
            orchs = db.query(Orchestrator).filter(Orchestrator.customer_id == customer_id).all()
            orch_options = [{"id": o.id, "label": o.name} for o in orchs]
            regions = db.query(Region).filter(Region.customer_id == customer_id).all()
            region_options = [{"id": r.id, "label": r.name} for r in regions]
        return self.templates.TemplateResponse("partials/dropdown_options_multi.html", {
            "request": request,
            "options": orch_options,              # Primary target options
            "selected": None,
            "oob_targets": [                      # Additional targets (out-of-band)
                {"id": "region_id", "options": region_options, "selected": None},
                # Add more targets as needed:
                # {"id": "another_field", "options": other_options, "selected": None},
            ],
        })

The response updates #orchestrator_id directly and swaps #region_id (and any other entries in oob_targets) out-of-band. TomSelect is automatically re-synced on all updated selects.

---

Toast Notifications

fasthx-admin includes a built-in toast notification system powered by Bootstrap toasts and HTMX triggers. Toasts appear in the bottom-right corner and auto-dismiss after 5 seconds.

toast_response helper

Use toast_response() in custom endpoints to show a toast after an action:

from fasthx_admin import CRUDView, toast_response

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = FortiEdge

    @CRUDView.endpoint("/{name}/{item_id}/deploy", methods=["POST"])
    async def deploy(self, request: Request, item_id: int, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
        edge = db.query(self.model).filter(self.model.id == item_id).first()
        if not edge:
            return toast_response("Edge not found", type="danger", status_code=404)

        # ... start deployment ...
        return toast_response("Deployment started!", type="success", redirect=f"/{self.name}")

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
message	The toast message text
type	"success", "danger", "warning", or "info" (default)
title	Optional title (defaults to capitalised type)
redirect	Optional URL — adds HX-Redirect header for page navigation after toast
status_code	HTTP status code (default 200)

JavaScript API

You can also trigger toasts from client-side JavaScript:

showToast({ message: "Saved!", type: "success" });
showToast({ message: "Something went wrong", type: "danger", title: "Error" });

---

Modals

fasthx-admin includes a built-in modal system using Bootstrap 5 modals and HTMX. Use modals to preview content, confirm actions, or display data without leaving the list view — ideal for file previews, detail popups, and download confirmations.

modal_response helper

Use modal_response() in custom endpoints to display content in a modal:

from fasthx_admin import CRUDView, modal_response

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = FortiEdge

    row_actions = [
        {
            "label": "Template",
            "icon": "download",
            "hx_get": "/edges/{id}/template",   # Uses hx_get — modal_response handles targeting
        },
    ]

    @CRUDView.endpoint("/{name}/{item_id}/template", methods=["GET"])
    async def template_preview(self, request: Request, item_id: int, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
        item = db.query(self.model).filter(self.model.id == item_id).first()
        if not item:
            return HTMLResponse("Not found", status_code=404)

        template_text = "# Generated config for " + item.hostname
        return modal_response(
            title=f"Template — {item.hostname}",
            body=f"<pre>{template_text}</pre>",
            actions=[
                {
                    "label": "Download",
                    "icon": "download",
                    "href": f"/edges/{item_id}/template/download",
                    "css_class": "btn btn-primary",
                },
            ],
            size="modal-lg",
        )

The modal opens automatically when the response arrives. A "Close" button is always included in the footer.

Parameters

Parameter	Description
title	Modal header title (auto-escaped)
body	HTML string for the modal body (trusted, not escaped — same as column_formatters)
actions	Optional list of action button dicts (see below)
size	Optional modal size: "modal-sm", "modal-lg", or "modal-xl" (default: standard)
status_code	HTTP status code (default 200)

Action buttons

Each action in the actions list is a dict:

Field	Description
label	Button text
icon	Bootstrap Icons name (optional)
href	Link URL — renders as <a> (use for downloads, navigation)
hx_post	HTMX POST URL — renders as <button>
hx_get	HTMX GET URL — renders as <button>
css_class	CSS classes (default: "btn btn-secondary")

How it works

1. A row action with hx_get sends a GET request to your endpoint
2. modal_response() returns HTML for the modal content with HX-Retarget and HX-Reswap headers that redirect the response into #admin-modal .modal-content
3. An HX-Trigger: showModal header tells the client JS to open the modal
4. The JS applies any size class and calls bootstrap.Modal.show()

Because modal_response() uses HX-Retarget, it works regardless of what hx_target is set on the triggering element — the response always ends up in the modal.

JavaScript API

You can also open the modal from client-side JavaScript:

showModal();                        // Open with current content
showModal({ size: 'modal-lg' });    // Open with large size

---

Validation

Raise ValidationError inside on_model_change() to abort a create or edit. The form re-renders with the user's values preserved and a danger toast shows the error message.

from fasthx_admin import CRUDView, ValidationError

class CustomerView(CRUDView):
    model = Customer

    def on_model_change(self, item, form_data, is_new, db, request=None):
        if not item.name or len(item.name.strip()) < 2:
            raise ValidationError("Customer name must be at least 2 characters")
        if is_new and not item.sid:
            raise ValidationError("SID is required for new customers")

Since on_model_change receives db, you can query related models for cross-table validation:

class OfferingView(CRUDView):
    model = Offering

    def on_model_change(self, item, form_data, is_new, db, request=None):
        product = db.query(Product).get(item.productid) if item.productid else None
        if product and product.name == "Fortigate":
            license_obj = db.query(VnfLicenses).get(item.vnflicensesid)
            if license_obj and "Forti" not in license_obj.license:
                raise ValidationError("Please select a Forti license")

---

Model Lifecycle Hooks

CRUDView provides lifecycle hooks that run before and after creates, edits, and deletes. These are useful for audit logging, cache invalidation, sending notifications, syncing external systems, or any side effect that should happen around model changes.

Hook	When it runs	Can abort?
on_model_change(item, form_data, is_new, db, request)	After _apply_form_data(), before db.commit()	Yes — raise ValidationError
after_model_change(item, form_data, is_new, db, request)	After successful commit	No
on_model_delete(item, db)	Before db.delete() and db.commit()	Yes — raise ValidationError
after_model_delete(item, db)	After successful delete commit	No

Use on_model_change for both validation and mutation before save. There is no separate validate() hook — keep it simple with one hook before commit and one after.

New in 0.5.2: on_model_change and after_model_change receive the request parameter for access to the current user session and request context. Defaults to None for backward compatibility.

New in 0.5.3: Removed the separate validate() hook. All validation now belongs in on_model_change(), which has full access to db and request.

Example: Audit logging

from fasthx_admin import CRUDView

class CustomerView(CRUDView):
    model = Customer

    def after_model_change(self, item, form_data, is_new, db, request=None):
        user = get_current_user(request) or {}
        action = "created" if is_new else "updated"
        db.add(AuditLog(entity="customer", entity_id=item.id, action=action, user=user.get("username")))
        db.commit()

    def after_model_delete(self, item, db):
        db.add(AuditLog(entity="customer", entity_id=item.id, action="deleted"))
        db.commit()

Example: Prevent deletion

class OrderView(CRUDView):
    model = Order

    def on_model_delete(self, item, db):
        if item.status == "shipped":
            raise ValidationError("Cannot delete a shipped order")

Example: Validation

from fasthx_admin import CRUDView, ValidationError

class OfferingView(CRUDView):
    model = Offering

    def on_model_change(self, item, form_data, is_new, db, request=None):
        # Validate
        if not item.hostname:
            raise ValidationError("Hostname is required")

        product = db.query(Product).get(item.productid)
        if product and product.name == "Fortigate":
            license_obj = db.query(VnfLicenses).get(item.vnflicensesid)
            if license_obj and "Forti" not in license_obj.license:
                raise ValidationError("Please select a Forti license")

        # Mutate
        if is_new and item.serverid:
            server = db.query(Server).get(item.serverid)
            item.ipaddress = server.getnextip(serverid=server.id)

Example: Set current user on create

from fasthx_admin import CRUDView, get_current_user

class TicketView(CRUDView):
    model = Ticket

    def on_model_change(self, item, form_data, is_new, db, request=None):
        if is_new:
            user = get_current_user(request) or {}
            item.created_by = user.get("username", "Unknown")

Example: Sync external system on change

class ServerView(CRUDView):
    model = Server

    def on_model_change(self, item, form_data, is_new, db, request=None):
        if not is_new and item.ipaddress != form_data.get("ipaddress"):
            # Update DNS before commit
            update_dns_record(item.hostname, form_data.get("ipaddress"))

How it fits in the save flow:

1. User submits create or edit form
2. _apply_form_data() sets values on the model instance
3. on_model_change() runs — validate and mutate, raise ValidationError to abort
4. db.commit()
5. after_model_change() runs

Delete flow:

1. on_model_delete() runs — raise ValidationError to abort
2. db.delete() + db.commit()
3. after_model_delete() runs

---

Progress Bar

fasthx-admin includes a built-in Redis-backed progress bar that uses HTMX auto-polling to show real-time task progress. The progress bar appears inline in the list table, polls every 2 seconds, and stops automatically on completion or error.

How it works

1. Set progress_redis_url on your view and add "progress": True to a row action
2. The framework auto-registers a GET /{name}/{item_id}/progress polling endpoint
3. Your action endpoint kicks off the work and returns self.progress_response()
4. Your background worker updates a Redis key as it progresses
5. The polling endpoint reads Redis and renders the progress bar until complete

Redis key convention

{view.name}:{item_id}:progress

Redis value	Progress	Status
Key doesn't exist (None)	0%	"Waiting..."
"Error"	100% (red)	"Failed"
"0" through "99"	That percentage (animated)	"Deploying..."
"100" or higher	100% (green)	"Complete"

Setup

class EdgeView(CRUDView):
    model = FortiEdge
    progress_redis_url = "redis://localhost:6379/0"

    htmx_columns = {
        "status": {
            "url": "/edges/{id}/status",
            "trigger": "every 5s",
            "terminal_states": ["online", "failed", "error"],
        },
    }

    column_formatters = {
        "status": format_edge_status,
    }

    row_actions = [
        {
            "label": "Deploy",
            "icon": "rocket",
            "hx_post": "/edges/{id}/deploy",
            "progress": True,            # enables the progress bar
            "confirm": "Start deployment?",
        },
        {
            "label": "Reset",
            "icon": "arrow-counterclockwise",
            "hx_post": "/edges/{id}/reset",
            "hx_swap": "none",
            "confirm": "Reset status?",
        },
    ]

That's it for configuration. The "progress": True flag tells fasthx-admin to:

• Auto-register GET /edges/{item_id}/progress (reads from Redis, renders the progress bar)
• Use hx-swap="afterend" and hx-target="closest tr" for this action (inserts the progress bar row below the clicked row)

Action endpoint

Your action endpoint just needs to start the work and return self.progress_response():

    @CRUDView.endpoint("/{name}/{item_id}/deploy", methods=["POST"], response_class=HTMLResponse)
    async def deploy(self, request: Request, item_id: int, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
        item = db.query(self.model).filter(self.model.id == item_id).first()
        if not item:
            return toast_response("Not found", type="danger")

        item.status = "deploying"
        db.commit()

        # Kick off background work (Celery, HTTP call, etc.)
        deploy_task.delay(item_id)

        # Return progress bar + auto-restart any htmx_columns polling
        return self.progress_response(request, item_id, item=item)

The item=item parameter is optional but recommended -- when provided, progress_response() automatically generates OOB (Out-of-Band) swaps for any htmx_columns defined on the view. This restarts their polling so status columns update alongside the progress bar, with no manual OOB HTML needed.

What your worker does

Your background process (Celery task, external service, etc.) just updates the Redis key:

import redis

r = redis.Redis.from_url("redis://localhost:6379/0", decode_responses=True)

# During work:
r.set("edges:42:progress", "25")   # 25%
r.set("edges:42:progress", "50")   # 50%
r.set("edges:42:progress", "100")  # Complete

# On failure:
r.set("edges:42:progress", "Error")

progress_response() reference

self.progress_response(request, item_id, item=None, progress=0, status="Starting...")

Parameter	Type	Description
request	Request	The FastAPI request object
item_id	int/str	The item's primary key
item	object	Optional SQLAlchemy model instance. When provided, OOB swaps are auto-generated for all htmx_columns to restart their polling
progress	int	Initial progress percentage (default: 0)
status	str	Initial status text (default: "Starting...")

Progress bar states

The progress bar template handles three visual states:

State	Bar color	Animation	Badge
In progress (0-99%)	Blue	Striped + animated	Status text (e.g. "Deploying...")
Complete (100%)	Green	None	"Complete"
Error	Red	None	"Failed"

---

Authentication

fasthx-admin includes OIDC/Keycloak authentication out of the box.

Development mode (no auth server needed)

AUTH_DISABLED=1 uvicorn app:app --reload

When AUTH_DISABLED=1, all requests get a mock user {"username": "dev", "groups": ["/Edge-Admins"]}.

Production mode (Keycloak)

1. Create a client_secrets.json in your project root:

{
  "web": {
    "token_uri": "https://keycloak.example.com/realms/myrealm/protocol/openid-connect/token",
    "userinfo_uri": "https://keycloak.example.com/realms/myrealm/protocol/openid-connect/userinfo",
    "client_id": "my-admin-client",
    "client_secret": "your-client-secret"
  }
}

2. Add login/logout routes to your app:

from fasthx_admin import get_current_user, oidc_login, AuthError

@app.get("/login", response_class=HTMLResponse)
async def login_page(request: Request):
    if get_current_user(request):
        return RedirectResponse("/dashboard", status_code=303)
    return admin.templates.TemplateResponse("login.html", {
        "request": request,
        "error": None,
        "username": None,
    })

@app.post("/login", response_class=HTMLResponse)
async def login_submit(request: Request):
    form = await request.form()
    username = form.get("username", "").strip()
    password = form.get("password", "")

    try:
        user = oidc_login(username, password)
    except AuthError as e:
        return admin.templates.TemplateResponse("login.html", {
            "request": request,
            "error": str(e),
            "username": username,
        })

    request.session["user"] = user
    return RedirectResponse("/dashboard", status_code=303)

@app.get("/logout")
async def logout(request: Request):
    request.session.clear()
    return RedirectResponse("/login", status_code=303)

Auth functions

Function	Description
get_current_user(request)	Returns user dict from session, or mock user if AUTH_DISABLED
oidc_login(username, password)	Exchanges credentials via Keycloak, returns {"username": ..., "groups": [...]}
AuthError	Exception raised on auth failure (invalid creds, wrong group, network error)
AUTH_DISABLED	Boolean, True when AUTH_DISABLED env var is set

Configuring allowed groups

By default, users must be in one of these Keycloak groups:

from fasthx_admin.auth import ALLOWED_GROUPS

# Modify at startup to match your Keycloak groups
ALLOWED_GROUPS.clear()
ALLOWED_GROUPS.extend(["/my-admin-group", "/superusers"])

---

AI Chat (Optional)

fasthx-admin ships with an optional AI chat widget that adds a floating assistant to every page. It supports any OpenAI-compatible API (OpenAI, vLLM, Ollama, LiteLLM, etc.), a decorator-based tool registry so the AI can call your Python functions, and a settings UI stored in the database.

Enabling AI Chat

Pass ai_chat=True when creating the Admin instance:

from fasthx_admin import Admin

admin = Admin(app, title="My Admin", ai_chat=True)

This automatically:

• Creates a fasthx_admin_ai_settings table in your database
• Mounts chat API endpoints under /ai/
• Adds "AI Settings" and "AI Context & Tools" links in the sidebar under a "Settings" category
• Includes the chat widget on every page (once enabled in settings)

Installing the AI Dependency

The AI chat uses httpx for async HTTP calls to the LLM API. Install it via the ai extra:

pip install fasthx-admin[ai]

If you already have httpx installed (e.g. from the dev extra), no additional install is needed.

Registering Tools

Tools let the AI call your Python functions to answer questions with live data. Use the @tool_registry.tool() decorator:

from fasthx_admin import tool_registry

@tool_registry.tool(description="Get the total number of customers")
def customer_count(db=None):
    """Returns the total number of customers."""
    count = db.query(Customer).count()
    return f"There are {count} customers."

@tool_registry.tool(description="Look up a customer by name")
def find_customer(name: str, db=None):
    """Find a customer by name (partial match)."""
    results = db.query(Customer).filter(Customer.name.ilike(f"%{name}%")).all()
    if not results:
        return f"No customers found matching '{name}'."
    return "\n".join(f"- {c.name} (SID: {c.sid})" for c in results)

@tool_registry.tool(description="Get edge device statistics")
async def edge_stats(db=None):
    """Returns edge device status breakdown."""
    total = db.query(FortiEdge).count()
    return f"Total edges: {total}"

Key points:

• db parameter -- if your function accepts a db parameter, it automatically receives the current SQLAlchemy session
• Async support -- tools can be async def or regular def
• Type hints -- parameter types (str, int, float, bool) are extracted and sent to the AI in OpenAI function-calling format
• Return a string -- the return value is sent back to the AI as the tool result
• Tools must be enabled in the settings UI before the AI can use them

Configuring via the Settings UI

After enabling ai_chat=True, navigate to Settings > AI Settings in the sidebar. The settings page has four sections:

Section	Fields	Description
General	Enable/disable toggle	Master switch for the chat widget
Connection	Base URL, API key, model	Your LLM endpoint (e.g. https://api.openai.com, http://localhost:11434)
Parameters	Temperature, max tokens, timeout	Generation parameters
System Prompt	Large text area	Base instructions for the AI

The Context & Tools page (linked from the settings page) lets you:

• Add context items -- named text segments injected into the system prompt (e.g. business rules, schema descriptions)
• Toggle context items on/off
• Enable/disable registered tools individually

All settings are stored in the fasthx_admin_ai_settings database table as key-value pairs.

How It Works

User types message in chat widget
    → POST /ai/chat {message: "..."}
    → Load settings from DB (cached 30s)
    → Build system prompt (base + enabled context items)
    → Load session history (in-memory, keyed by cookie)
    → Call LLM provider with messages + enabled tools
    → If AI requests tool calls:
        → Execute tools via registry (with DB session)
        → Send tool results back to AI
        → Get final response
    → Save to session history (max 50 messages)
    → Return {response, tool_calls_made}

• Session history is stored in-memory on the server, keyed by a fasthx_chat_sid cookie
• History persists across page navigations but resets on server restart
• The chat widget renders markdown responses using marked.js + DOMPurify (loaded from CDN)
• Widget size and expanded/minimized state persist in localStorage

Custom Providers

The built-in OpenAICompatibleProvider works with any API that speaks the OpenAI chat completions format. To integrate a different API, subclass AIProvider:

from fasthx_admin import AIProvider

class MyCustomProvider(AIProvider):
    name = "my_provider"

    async def chat(self, messages, tools=None, **kwargs):
        # Call your LLM API here
        # Must return: {"response": str, "tool_calls": list | None}
        ...

    def get_config_fields(self):
        # Return list of settings fields for the UI
        return [
            {"key": "api_key", "label": "API Key", "type": "password", "default": ""},
        ]

AI Chat API Endpoints

All endpoints are mounted under /ai/:

Method	Path	Description
POST	/ai/chat	Send a message, get AI response (JSON)
POST	/ai/clear	Clear the current session's chat history
GET	/ai/history	Get the current session's message history (JSON)
GET	/ai/settings	AI settings page (HTML)
POST	/ai/settings	Save AI settings
GET	/ai/settings/context	Context & tools settings page (HTML)
POST	/ai/settings/context	Save context items and tool toggles

The POST /ai/chat endpoint expects JSON {"message": "..."} and returns:

{
    "response": "The AI's markdown response",
    "tool_calls": [
        {"name": "customer_count", "arguments": {}, "result": "There are 4 customers."}
    ]
}

---

Custom Pages (Dashboard, Wizard, etc.)

The auto-generated CRUD views handle model pages. For custom pages like dashboards, wizards, or tools, add standard FastAPI routes and use admin.templates for rendering.

Dashboard example

The built-in dashboard.html template is fully data-driven. It renders four optional sections — summary cards, a recent items table, a status breakdown panel, and quick action buttons — all configured entirely from Python. Each section only renders if you pass the corresponding context variable, so you can mix and match.

@app.get("/dashboard", response_class=HTMLResponse)
async def dashboard(request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
    total = db.query(Device).count()
    online = db.query(Device).filter(Device.status == "online").count()
    error = db.query(Device).filter(Device.status == "error").count()

    return admin.templates.TemplateResponse("dashboard.html", {
        "request": request,
        "active_page": "dashboard",
        "dashboard_cards": [...],       # summary cards
        "dashboard_table": {...},       # recent items table
        "dashboard_stats": {...},       # status breakdown sidebar
        "dashboard_actions": [...],     # quick action buttons
    })

Set active_page to match a sidebar link's name to highlight it.

Summary cards (dashboard_cards)

A list of dicts. Each card is a clickable link with a large value, label, and icon. Cards are rendered in a 4-column grid (col-md-3) and wrap automatically.

Key	Required	Description
label	yes	Card title text (e.g. "Total Devices")
value	yes	The number or text to display prominently
icon	yes	Bootstrap Icons name without the bi- prefix (e.g. "shield", "check-circle")
link	yes	URL the card links to when clicked
color	no	CSS class for the value text (e.g. "text-success", "text-danger")
icon_color	no	CSS class for the icon (e.g. "text-warning"). Defaults to "text-primary"
bg	no	CSS class for the icon background (e.g. "bg-success-subtle"). Defaults to "bg-primary-subtle"

dashboard_cards = [
    {
        "label": "Total Devices",
        "value": total,
        "icon": "shield",
        "link": "/devices",
    },
    {
        "label": "Online",
        "value": online,
        "color": "text-success",
        "icon": "check-circle",
        "icon_color": "text-success",
        "bg": "bg-success-subtle",
        "link": "/devices?q=online",
    },
    {
        "label": "Errors",
        "value": error,
        "color": "text-danger",
        "icon": "exclamation-triangle",
        "icon_color": "text-danger",
        "bg": "bg-danger-subtle",
        "link": "/devices?q=error",
    },
]

Recent items table (dashboard_table)

A dict that defines the table title, columns, and data. No template override needed — columns and rendering are configured from Python.

Key	Required	Description
title	no	Table header text. Defaults to "Recent Items"
link	no	URL for the "View All" button
link_text	no	Button text. Defaults to "View All"
columns	yes	List of column definitions (see below)
rows	yes	List of dicts or SQLAlchemy model instances to display as rows

Column definition keys:

Key	Required	Description
key	yes	Attribute name or dict key to read from each item
label	yes	Column header text
link	no	URL template with {id} placeholder — renders the cell as a clickable link (e.g. "/devices/{id}")
code	no	If true, renders the value in <code> tags
status	no	If true, renders the value as a colored status badge via partials/status_cell.html

If none of link, code, or status are set, the value renders as plain text.

dashboard_table = {
    "title": "Recent Devices",
    "link": "/devices",
    "columns": [
        {"key": "name", "label": "Name", "link": "/devices/{id}"},
        {"key": "serial", "label": "Serial", "code": True},
        {"key": "region", "label": "Region"},
        {"key": "status", "label": "Status", "status": True},
    ],
    "rows": db.query(Device).order_by(Device.id.desc()).limit(10).all(),
}

Items can be dicts or SQLAlchemy model objects — the template handles both. When using model objects, make sure the key values match the model's attribute names. For computed or relationship values, pass dicts instead:

dashboard_table = {
    "title": "Recent Orders",
    "link": "/orders",
    "columns": [
        {"key": "id", "label": "Order #", "link": "/orders/{id}"},
        {"key": "customer_name", "label": "Customer"},
        {"key": "total", "label": "Total"},
        {"key": "status", "label": "Status", "status": True},
    ],
    "rows": [
        {
            "id": o.id,
            "customer_name": o.customer.name,
            "total": f"${o.total:.2f}",
            "status": o.status.value,
        }
        for o in db.query(Order).order_by(Order.id.desc()).limit(10).all()
    ],
}

Status breakdown and counters (dashboard_stats)

A dict that populates the sidebar panel with status badges and summary counters.

Key	Required	Description
title	no	Panel header text. Defaults to "Status Breakdown"
status_breakdown	no	Dict of {status_name: count} — each entry renders as a status badge with a count
counters_title	no	Heading above the counters section
counters	no	List of {"label": "...", "value": ...} dicts shown below the breakdown

dashboard_stats = {
    "title": "Status Breakdown",
    "status_breakdown": {
        "online": 12,
        "deploying": 3,
        "error": 1,
    },
    "counters_title": "Summary",
    "counters": [
        {"label": "Total Customers", "value": db.query(Customer).count()},
        {"label": "Total Regions", "value": db.query(Region).count()},
    ],
}

The status_breakdown keys are rendered using partials/status_cell.html, which maps known status names to colored badges (online = green, deploying = yellow, error = red, etc.). Unknown status names render as a grey badge with the name as-is.

Quick actions (dashboard_actions)

A list of dicts. Each entry renders as a button in the sidebar.

Key	Required	Description
label	yes	Button text
url	yes	URL the button links to
icon	no	Bootstrap Icons name without the bi- prefix
class	no	CSS class for the button. Defaults to "btn-outline-secondary"

dashboard_actions = [
    {"label": "Deploy Wizard", "url": "/wizard", "icon": "magic", "class": "btn-primary"},
    {"label": "Add Device", "url": "/devices/create", "icon": "plus-lg"},
    {"label": "Add Customer", "url": "/customers/create", "icon": "plus-lg"},
]

Full example

Putting it all together:

@app.get("/dashboard", response_class=HTMLResponse)
async def dashboard(request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
    total = db.query(Customer).count()
    active = db.query(Customer).filter(Customer.status == "active").count()

    return admin.templates.TemplateResponse("dashboard.html", {
        "request": request,
        "active_page": "dashboard",
        "dashboard_cards": [
            {"label": "Total", "value": total, "icon": "people", "link": "/customers"},
            {"label": "Active", "value": active, "icon": "check-circle",
             "color": "text-success", "icon_color": "text-success",
             "bg": "bg-success-subtle", "link": "/customers?q=active"},
        ],
        "dashboard_table": {
            "title": "Recent Customers",
            "link": "/customers",
            "columns": [
                {"key": "name", "label": "Name", "link": "/customers/{id}"},
                {"key": "email", "label": "Email"},
                {"key": "status", "label": "Status", "status": True},
            ],
            "rows": db.query(Customer).order_by(Customer.id.desc()).limit(10).all(),
        },
        "dashboard_stats": {
            "status_breakdown": {"active": active, "inactive": total - active},
            "counters": [{"label": "Total Customers", "value": total}],
        },
        "dashboard_actions": [
            {"label": "Add Customer", "url": "/customers/create", "icon": "plus-lg", "class": "btn-primary"},
        ],
    })

Root redirect

@app.get("/")
async def root():
    return RedirectResponse("/dashboard")

---

Custom Navigation Links

Use admin.add_link() to add non-CRUD links to the sidebar. These appear alongside your CRUDView entries, grouped by category.

admin.add_link("reports", "/reports", "Reports", icon="graph-up", category="Analytics")
admin.add_link("docs", "/docs", "API Docs", icon="book", category="Tools")

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
name	str	required	Unique identifier for the link
url	str	required	URL the link points to
display_name	str	required	Text shown in the sidebar
icon	str	"link"	Bootstrap Icons name
category	str	"Other"	Sidebar category group
allowed_users	list[str]	None	Usernames that can see this link. None = visible to all.
allowed_groups	list[str]	None	Group DNs that can see this link. None = visible to all.

Sidebar categories are collapsible -- click a category header to collapse/expand its items. The collapse state is persisted in localStorage. Categories containing the currently active page auto-expand.

---

Templates

fasthx-admin ships with these built-in templates:

Template	Purpose
base.html	Main layout -- sidebar, topbar, theme toggle, content area
login.html	Standalone login page with Keycloak SSO branding
dashboard.html	Summary cards, recent items table, status breakdown, quick actions
list.html	CRUD list view with search, sortable columns, pagination, row actions
detail.html	Read-only detail view showing all fields
form.html	Create/edit form with optional accordion sections
wizard.html	Multi-step wizard container

Partials (HTMX targets and includes)

Partial	Purpose
partials/table_body.html	Table rows (HTMX target for live search)
partials/row_actions.html	View/Edit/Delete + custom action buttons
partials/status_cell.html	Status badge renderer (online/offline/deploying/error/etc.)
partials/_form_field.html	Single form field renderer (text/select/checkbox/textarea)
partials/dropdown_options.html	<option> tags for single-target dependent dropdown responses
partials/dropdown_options_multi.html	<option> tags with OOB swaps for multi-target dependent dropdowns
partials/progress_bar.html	Animated deployment progress bar with auto-polling
partials/_wizard_indicators.html	Wizard step progress indicators
partials/wizard_step.html	Wizard step content (all 4 steps)

Using custom templates

Use extra_templates_dirs to add directories that are searched before the built-in ones. Templates in your directories override built-in templates with the same name:

admin = Admin(app, extra_templates_dirs=["my_templates"])

Alternatively, pass your own Jinja2Templates instance for full control:

from fastapi.templating import Jinja2Templates

templates = Jinja2Templates(directory="my_templates")
admin = Admin(app, templates=templates, mount_statics=True)

Template context variables

Every template rendered through admin.templates.TemplateResponse() automatically receives:

Variable	Description
current_user	Dict with username and groups, or None
nav_categories	Sidebar navigation structure
active_page	Which sidebar item to highlight
static_url	URL prefix for static assets
admin_title	The configured admin title
ai_chat_enabled	Whether the AI chat widget is active

---

Theming

The built-in CSS supports dark and light themes via Bootstrap's data-bs-theme attribute. Dark is the default.

Color palette

Variable	Dark	Light
--accent	#10b981 (emerald green)	same
--bg-base	#1f1f1f	#f3f4f6
--bg-surface	#303030	#ffffff
--text	#ffffff	#1f1f1f
--danger	#ef4444	same
--warning	#f59e0b	same
--info	#3b82f6	same

Theme is toggled via the sun/moon button in the topbar and persisted in localStorage.

---

Icons

fasthx-admin uses Bootstrap Icons 1.11.3 loaded via CDN. Over 2,000 icons are available.

Setting icons on models

Use the __admin_icon__ attribute on your SQLAlchemy model:

class Device(Base):
    __tablename__ = "devices"
    __admin_icon__ = "router"       # Any Bootstrap Icons name

Setting icons on views

Override the icon at the view level with the icon class attribute:

class DeviceView(CRUDView):
    model = Device
    icon = "hdd-network"            # Overrides model's __admin_icon__

The default icon is "table" if neither the model nor view specifies one.

Finding icon names

Browse the full icon set at icons.getbootstrap.com. Use the name shown on each icon's page (e.g., "people", "gear", "cart", "shield-lock").

---

Auto-Generated Routes

For each registered CRUDView, these routes are created automatically:

Method	URL	Description
GET	/{name}	List view with search, sort, pagination
GET	/{name}/create	Create form
POST	/{name}/create	Submit new record
GET	/{name}/{id}	Detail view
GET	/{name}/{id}/edit	Edit form
POST	/{name}/{id}/edit	Submit edit
POST	/{name}/{id}/delete	Delete record

Plus for each htmx_columns entry:

Method	URL	Description
GET	/{name}/{id}/{field}	Returns current field value (for polling)

Example: A view with name = "devices" generates:

• GET /devices -- list all devices
• GET /devices/create -- show create form
• POST /devices/create -- create a device
• GET /devices/42 -- show device #42
• GET /devices/42/edit -- edit form for device #42
• POST /devices/42/edit -- save edits
• POST /devices/42/delete -- delete device #42

---

Environment Variables

Variable	Purpose	Default
AUTH_DISABLED	Set to 1, true, or yes to bypass authentication	auth enabled
SESSION_SECRET	Secret key for session cookie signing	set in your app
OIDC_SECRETS	Path to Keycloak client_secrets.json	./client_secrets.json

---

Flask-Admin Migration Guide

fasthx-admin is designed as a drop-in conceptual replacement for Flask-Admin. Here's how the concepts map:

Flask-Admin	fasthx-admin	Notes
ModelView	CRUDView subclass	Same pattern: subclass + class attributes
admin.add_view(MyView(Model, db.session))	admin.add_view(MyView)	No session arg needed; uses get_db dependency
column_formatters	column_formatters	Same API: {col: fn(value, obj) -> html}
column_list	column_list	Identical
column_labels	column_labels	Identical
column_searchable_list	column_searchable	Renamed
column_sortable_list	column_sortable	Renamed
column_exclude_list	column_exclude	Renamed
form_columns	form_columns	Identical
form_create_rules + FieldSet()	form_sections	Dict instead of list of rules
form_args	form_widget_overrides	Renamed, supports HTMX attrs
form_ajax_refs	form_ajax_refs	Same concept; uses HTMX instead of Select2
column_extra_row_actions	row_actions	List of dicts with HTMX attrs
on_model_change(form, model, is_created)	on_model_change(item, form_data, is_new, db, request)	Handles both validation and mutation; uses form_data dict instead of WTForms
after_model_change(form, model, is_created)	after_model_change(item, form_data, is_new, db, request)	Same concept; includes request for user context
on_model_delete(model)	on_model_delete(item, db)	Same concept; db session passed explicitly
after_model_delete(model)	after_model_delete(item, db)	Same concept
column_filters	column_filters	List of column names for filter dropdowns
column_export_list	export_types	List of format strings (["csv", "xlsx"])
@expose() custom endpoints	setup_endpoints() override	Define on self.router
Markup() in formatters	Raw HTML strings	Templates use | safe filter

---

Running the Demo

The package includes a full demo application in examples/demo/:

git clone https://github.com/talbiston/fasthx-admin.git
cd fasthx-admin
pip install -e .[dev]       # install from project root
cd examples/demo
AUTH_DISABLED=1 uvicorn app:app --reload

Open http://127.0.0.1:8000

The demo includes:

• 3 CRUD views -- Customers, Orchestrators, FortiEdges
• Dashboard -- summary cards, recent items, status breakdown
• Deploy Wizard -- 4-step wizard with dependent dropdowns and live progress
• Custom formatters -- status badges, links, monospace serial numbers
• Row actions -- Build, Deploy, Reset with HTMX
• HTMX polling -- live status updates on build_status and edge status columns
• 25 seed records -- auto-generated on first startup

---

Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Backend	FastAPI
ORM	SQLAlchemy
Templates	Jinja2
Frontend	HTMX 2.0 (CDN)
CSS	Bootstrap 5.3 (CDN)
Icons	Bootstrap Icons (CDN)
Auth	OIDC / Keycloak (via requests)
AI Chat	httpx (optional [ai] extra) + marked.js / DOMPurify (CDN)
Server	Uvicorn (dev dependency)
Selects	Tom Select 2.4 (CDN) -- searchable dropdowns
JavaScript	Minimal -- theme toggle + HTMX event hooks + Tom Select init + AI chat widget